Future broadband Policy approach to next generation access Dougal Scott 26 September 2007 Ofcom
The UK has displayed a good performance in terms of current generation broadband More than 60% of homes can choose from four or more network providers UK LLU coverage, June 2007... and competition has driven take-up, price reductions and increased bandwidth Broadband prices ( per month) 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 512 Kb/s 1Mbit/s 2Mbit/s 8Mbit/s 24Mbit/s Broadband lines (millions) 15 10 5 +8Mbps Up to 8 Mbps Up to 2Mpbs Up to 1Mbps Up to 512Kbps Data not available Ofcom 1 0 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 H1
and continues to compare favourably with our international peers The UK is one of the leading countries in terms of both availability of broadband and is climbing the international rankings on take-up % of people will access to terrestrial broadband 100 80 60 40 20 0 99.6 95 94 96 91 90 90 UK FRA GER ITA USA JPN SWE Broadband connections per 100 households 60 50 44 39 40 38 38 31 30 28 20 10 10 6 6 1 3 2 0 UK FRA GER ITA USA JPN 58 45 41 18 12 12 9 8 4 0 0 0 CHN POL ESP NED SWE IRL Ofcom 2
There will come a time when existing access networks can no longer meet increasing customer expectations Current generation access Next generation access ADSL, cable ADSL2+, cable,, cable Downstream bandwidth requirements 100Mbps 25Mbps 8Mbps 2Mbps Multiple application usage Fast HDTV d load 50MB file d load in 30sec HDTV today Future HDTV HDTV overnight d load Standard def TV MPEG2 P2P file-sharing Standard def TV MPEG4 Fast internet browsing iplayer etc VOIP Online radio Ofcom 3
Evolving consumer expectations will require changes to the existing access network next generation access Today s access network Access network Core network Copper based access Copper local loop Street cabinet Local exchange Metro Node Core Network Next generation access Fibre to the cabinet Copper sub-loop Fibre Street cabinet Local exchange Metro Node Core Network Fibre to the home Fibre Splitter Local exchange Metro Node Core Network Ofcom 4
We re starting to see announcements from the market on next generation access in a number of countries TDC AT&T Verizon KPN Belgacom Illiad Deutsche Telekom Telekom Austria NTT Neuf Swisscom Korea Telecom France Telecom Ofcom 5
These announcements are as a result of a range of factors that vary between countries Driver Examples Countries New revenue opportunities Broadband competition Reduced cost build Cost savings Lower quality copper Public sector intervention IPTV and video on demand services in less developed pay TV markets Presence of competitive threat from cable or LLU investment Use of existing ducting e.g. sewers; use of aerial fibre Sale of local exchange buildings; operational cost savings Investment required to deliver higher current bandwidths Government or regulatory policy to incentivise investment The market and infrastructure characteristics are different in the UK Ofcom 6
The UK s success last time was in part due to a clear regulatory framework based on well defined principles Within the TSR, the three most relevant principles were: Contestable investments to ensure everyone can compete by making their own investments in their own time Optimise the scope for innovation to maximise consumer and business benefits from these new services; and Require equivalence where operators with market power must make their network infrastructure available to their competitors on the same basis. These continue to be appropriate, plus two new principles specific to next generation access Reflect investment risk in regulated access terms to ensure investment is not disincentivised Provide regulatory certainty to allow investors to make fully informed decisions Ofcom 7
We are consulting on the available approaches to implementing these principles Options for competition can be divided into two main forms, active and passive, that apply at different locations in the network Active Access Active Line Access Active Line Access Active Line Access Copper or Fibre Customer Street Cabinet Fibre Local Exchange Metro Node Core Network Duct SLU - Copper Fibre Duct Fibre Wavelength Passive Access Ofcom 8
Intervention to secure NGA investment today is premature, but should not be ruled out if circumstances change Next generation access network investments offer the potential for substantial benefits to citizens, consumers and the economy However, given the cost, to justify any public intervention in this area would require a lot of evidence in support We are yet to see this evidence emerge, but will continue to monitor the situation Government needs to take care not to pre-empt the market or to distort competition. But, if a government believes that gains from deployment of advanced networks are certain and that current services are inadequate, it can step in [Viviane Reding, 14 May 2007] Some might argue that, if Government believes next generation broadband is so important, why don t we pay for it? We shan t be going down that road. It would run the risk of deterring private sector investment duplicating investment that would have been made by the market, or undermining existing investment. The market must take the lead. [Stephen Timms, 18 September 2007] Ofcom 9
Next generation access is an incredibly broad issue, and it is vital that everyone becomes involved This is not just a debate for Ofcom, but affects a wide range of stakeholders: Communications providers Applications and service providers Consumer groups Business Central government and the Devolved Authorities Local government and regional development agencies Ofcom has a role to play both in ensuring there is certainty on the regulatory environment that will apply to next generation access, but also in promoting wider debate on this issue To guard against any risk that the UK may be left behind, Ofcom must remain actively engaged with all stakeholders on this issue Ofcom 10